Sharing Saturday 17-13

It is time for Sharing Saturday!! This is a link party to share all of your child-oriented crafts, crafts made for kids, activities and lessons as well as your parenting and/or teaching posts.

On Sunday night we also host Crafty Weekends for all your crafts (done by any age), patterns, and craft product reviews! It is the perfect place to share your creative side!! And for all of your cultural posts come share them at the monthly Creative Kids Culture Blog Hop.

Thank you to everyone who shared with us at our last party! It was full of such a variety of ideas including many great looks at books and how they are published!  Our features are just a sampling of them so if you haven't checked them all out, you should! This week we have two groups of features: Easter  and  Other Great Features.

Guess How Much I Love You Coloring Book -- a Relaxing Friday Review

Disclosure: Candlewick Press gave me a copy of this book free of charge to review. All opinions in my review are my own and I did not receive any other compensation. As in all my reviews I am providing links for your ease, but receive no compensation.

This has been anything but a Relaxing Friday for me. We have yet another snow storm starting here. March came in like a lion, treated me like a lion and is leaving like a lion. Where is the going out like a lamb part? I am personally glad to see March 2017 ending. Anyway, since I ran all my errands for the weekend this morning to avoid the snow and storm crowds, I am writing this post later than usual. Today however I have the perfect coloring book to share with you a couple of weeks prior to Easter. It is perfect because I know the classic book that it was inspired by is a book that will find its way into some Easter baskets. The coloring book today is Guess How Much I Love You Coloring Book by Sam McBratney and illustrated by Anita Jeram. 

Finding Time for Exercise in My Busy Schedule

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Fabletics. I will receive a small payment for writing it. The links however are for your convenience and I will not receive money if you purchase from them.

Now I know as we all do that I need to exercise on a regular basis. However I have gotten into the habit of not having time. Then in December I had a huge awakening. My doctor informed me that my levels put me at pre-diabetic. She suggested I start exercising more, losing weight and see a nutritionist. My adventure began. I am not on a diet. I have done the diet thing. In fact I was successful as a Weight Watchers member after having Hazel, but by the end I had tableaued. I know what I need to do to lose weight, but sometimes life gets in the way. Now when I first had Hazel walking was easy. I put her in a stroller and actually met a neighbor who became a good walking buddy (and a good friend). We use to meet each other and walk a couple of miles as we pushed our kids. Now that Hazel is older it is not so easy and my friend moved further away. Having a buddy is one of the best motivators for continuing an exercise regime. So if you have one, use them to get you moving and stay moving.

Books about Animals & More

Disclosure: I was sent these books to review free of charge in exchange for an honest review. All opinions in this post are my own. I did not receive any other compensation for this review.

Tonight I am going to share some books having to do with animals. This group of books has things for different ages from board books to posters and more. Are you ready for some animal fun? We will start with Animalium Poster Book by Susanna Davidson and illustrated by Katie Scott and Jenny Broom. 

Ann Cole Lowe and Ada Lovelace -- Learning about Women in History

For our final post this year for Women's History Month I am sharing two books I found at the library. The first book is Fancy Party Gowns: The Story of Fashion Designer Ann Cole Lowe by Deborah Blumenthal and illustrated by Laura Freeman.

Bee Aware -- 100 Plants to Feed the Bees and more -- a Crafty Weekends Review & Link Party

Disclosure: I was sent this book to review free of charge from Storey Publishing. All opinions in this post are my own. I did not receive any other compensation for this review. I am including links to each item for your convenience but do not receive anything if you purchase them.

Spring has sprung even though it doesn't really feel like it here in Massachusetts. We still have snow on the ground. I have begun to think about my garden. Now I am aware of the issues with bees. Are you? I don't mean the fact that they sting or that Hazel is afraid of them because they sting. I mean that there is a drop in bee population. Why should we care about the bees after all they sting? Well if we don't start caring we will not have fresh fruits and vegetables or flowers for that matter. Bees are pollinators and they are necessary for growth of plants. What can a gardener do to help the bees? Well there are a few things. One is to avoid using pesticides. Many towns now spray for mosquitoes, but the pesticides they spray do not only kill mosquitoes but also the other insects including bees and butterflies, our main pollinators. The pesticides you may use in your own yard will do the same thing. Another thing to do is plant the flowers that attract bees and other pollinators. Tonight's book is too help know which flowers these are. The book is 100 Plants to Feed the Bees by the Xerces Society. 

Sharing Saturday 17-12

It is time for Sharing Saturday!! This is a link party to share all of your child-oriented crafts, crafts made for kids, activities and lessons as well as your parenting and/or teaching posts.

On Sunday night we also host Crafty Weekends for all your crafts (done by any age), patterns, and craft product reviews! It is the perfect place to share your creative side!! And for all of your cultural posts come share them at the monthly Creative Kids Culture Blog Hop.

Thank you to everyone who shared with us at our last party! It was another great party with many different ideas!!  Our features are just a sampling of them so if you haven't checked them all out, you should! This week we have three groups of features: Books, Lessons & More, and  Other Great Features.

Colouring in Peace -- a Relaxing Friday Review

 Disclosure: Kregel Publications sent me a copy of this book free of charge for this review. All opinions in my review are my own and I did not receive any other compensation.  As in all my reviews I am providing links for your ease, but receive no compensation.

I have been planning on writing this Relaxing Friday review for a very long time and somehow my Fridays have not been very relaxing. I have to say that all of March thus far has been far from relaxing. So today I am taking the time to get this review done and share this wonderful coloring book with you.  The book is Colour in Peace: A Reflective Journey illustrated by James Newman Gray. 

Poetry Books for Kids -- Book Reviews

Disclosure: I was sent these books to review free of charge in exchange for an honest review. All opinions in this post are my own. I did not receive any other compensation for this review.

 Next month (April) is National Poetry Month. Do you ever try to share poetry with your kids? Some poetry is great for kids and others are harder to get them interested in. Today I am going to share two books to share a bit of poetry and hopefully help develop a love of poetry with your kids. The first is from a Poetry for Kids series and the bonus for us is it is about a Massachusetts poet. Hazel's class is looking at the history of Massachusetts currently and has a project to study someone or something from the history. Hazel however did not choose Emily Dickinson liked I hoped. She chose Susan B. Anthony, so we are learning a lot about women's suffrage right now. However we did take time out to read Poetry for Kids: Emily Dickinson edited by Susan Snively, PhD and illustrated by Christine Davenier. 

Martina and Chrissie - Book Review for Learning about Women in History

Disclosure: Candlewick Press gave me a copy of this book free of charge to review. All opinions in my review are my own and I did not receive any other compensation. As in all my reviews I am providing links for your ease, but receive no compensation.

I like to focus on women from different walks of life each March. So far this month we have shared books on a female scientist at NASA, the first female pilot and First Ladies with a special look at Eleanor Roosevelt. Today we are taking a look at sports. In the past we have looked at women that are figure skaters and professional baseball players in the past. Today we are taking a look at two very famous tennis players. The book is Martina & Chrissie: The Greatest Rivalry in the History of Sports by Phil Bildner and illustrated by Brett Helquist. 

Delving into Bullet Journaling with Paper Mate and Sharpie -- a Crafty Weekends Review & Link Party

Disclosure: I was sent these pens to review free of charge in exchange for an honest review. All opinions in this post are my own. I did not receive any other compensation for this review.

Have you discovered bullet journaling yet? My first introduction to it was someone coming into work and asking for a bullet journal. Now Paper Source sells many journals, but we did not have the official bullet journal nor had I even heard of it. I did some research on-line. For those who are like me and don't know, Bullet Journal or BuJo, was created by Ryder Carroll. He is a digital product designer in Brooklyn, New York. Through trial and error he came up with a system that worked for him. People say a bullet journal is like a planner, an organizer and a diary all in one. It is hard to understand this until you try it. (Source) The instructions for bullet journal says you can use any notebook, but they do sell an official BuJo Notebook. I decided to just us a journal I had at home. Mine has lines unlike the ones on bullet journal site which has a dot grid. From what I can tell bullet journaling is about finding a system that works for you. It is meant to be a quick way to organize yourself and be flexible to help each person. When I searched Pinterest I found ones that are used by students, teachers, and even for planning weddings. You can check out my Journals Board to see what I found. 

Sharing Saturday 17-11

It is time for Sharing Saturday!! This is a link party to share all of your child-oriented crafts, crafts made for kids, activities and lessons as well as your parenting and/or teaching posts.

On Sunday night we also host Crafty Weekends for all your crafts (done by any age), patterns, and craft product reviews! It is the perfect place to share your creative side!! And for all of your cultural posts come share them at the monthly Creative Kids Culture Blog Hop.

Thank you to everyone who shared with us at our last party! It was full of some great ideas in all sorts of different topics. Our features are just a sampling of them so if you haven't checked them all out, you should! This week we have two groups of features: Books & Other Great Features.

Books for Learning about Emotions for Little Ones

Disclosure: Abrams Books sent me these products free of charge. All opinions in my review are my own and I did not receive any other compensation. As always I am providing links to the book for your convenience.

One of the first things children learn about is emotions. And what baby does not love to see faces and especially his or her own!! Today I am going to share two books about emotions for slightly different aged children. The first is a board book for babies. It is Making Faces: A First Book of Emotions by Abrams Appleseed. This book is being released May 2, 2017. You can pre-order it today though!

Irish Tea Party with Book Review

Disclosure: Candlewick Press gave me a copy of this book free of charge to review. All opinions in my review are my own and I did not receive any other compensation. As in all my reviews I am providing links for your ease, but receive no compensation.

For March we thought we would explore Ireland as St. Patrick's Day is in March (this Friday). We also received a book to go along with our exploration of Ireland that I will share here. Yesterday New England was hit with Winter Storm Stella, so it was the perfect day to have a tea party. Hazel and I both had a snow day while poor Steve got the overnight shift and went in early so he would not have to drive during the worse of it.

Books about Home

Disclosure: I was sent these books to review free of charge in exchange for an honest review. All opinions in this post are my own. I did not receive any other compensation for this review.

After spending a fun snow day at home with Hazel, I think it is appropriate to share some fun books about homes. We will start with The Road Home by Katie Cotton and illustrated by Sarah Jacoby. 

First Ladies and Eleanor Roosevelt -- Women's History Month Series

Disclosure: Penguin Random House Books gave me a copy of this book free of charge for this review. All opinions in my review are my own and I did not receive any other compensation.  As in all my reviews I am providing links for your ease, but receive no compensation.

This is my official post for Multicultural Kid Blogs' Women's History Month Series although I have already done two posts on women in history already this month (Bethany Ehlmann and Sophie Blanchard) and will be doing more the rest of the month. Today I am sharing a book about many wonderful women in history it is What's the Big Deal about First Ladies by Ruby Shamir and illustrated by Matt Faulkner and I am going to share a bit about one of my favorite first ladies in history, Eleanor Roosevelt. 

Spring Cards with Origami -- Crafty Weekends Tutorial and Link Party

I have had an itch to do something creative on my own. Then I fell in love with a sample card at work which featured an origami dress made with a mint green flowered wrapping paper. I bought a sheet and got the instructions for the dress. I also have been wanting to make a bunny card with Easter approaching. Let's start with the origami dress. After finding a few tutorials because I found one step of the instructions confusing, I decided I liked this one the best. It made the confusing v-neckline the easiest.

Sharing Saturday 17-10

It is time for Sharing Saturday!! This is a link party to share all of your child-oriented crafts, crafts made for kids, activities and lessons as well as your parenting and/or teaching posts.

On Sunday night we also host Crafty Weekends for all your crafts (done by any age), patterns, and craft product reviews! It is the perfect place to share your creative side!! And for all of your cultural posts come share them at the monthly Creative Kids Culture Blog Hop.

Thank you to everyone who shared with us at our last party! It was full of some great ideas in all sorts of different topics. Our features are just a sampling of them so if you haven't checked them all out, you should! This week we have two groups of features: Holidays & Other Great Features.

Maps, Culture, Cities & Towns -- Children's Book Reviews & Giveaway!!

Disclosure: I was sent these books to review free of charge in exchange for an honest review. All opinions in this post are my own. I did not receive any other compensation for this review.

 Today I am sharing some books that have various lessons around the theme of maps, culture, cities and towns. These books range for which ages they are good. We will start with Mapping My Day by Julie Dillemuth and illustrated by Laura Wood. This book is being released next week and I have an opportunity for one of you to win a copy of it!! See below.

Picture Books with Lessons & Fun

Disclosure: I was sent these books to review free of charge in exchange for an honest review. All opinions in this post are my own. I did not receive any other compensation for this review.

I have to make a confession. I have an awful problem. I am a book hoarder and I'm teaching Hazel to be one as well. And the worse thing is I haven't been sharing them with you. My review shelves are overflowing so I am going to be sharing several groupings of books the next few days. For now I am going some picture books which have interesting lessons and one is just fun. The first is the second book in the Growing With God Series by Janis Cox, Kingdom of Thrim. 

Lighter Than Air: Sophie Blanchard, the First Woman Pilot -- Learning about Women in History Series

Disclosure: Candlewick Press gave me a copy of this book free of charge to review. All opinions in my review are my own and I did not receive any other compensation. As in all my reviews I am providing links for your ease, but receive no compensation.

 Did you hear about the women who made history recently that are in today's news everywhere? Air India had an all female crew fly round the world. Every crew member from the pilots, cabin crews, check-in and ground handling staff were women and Air India says even the engineers who certified the plane and the air traffic controllers who cleared departure and arrival were women. This is a first and they are applying for a spot in the Guinness World Records. (Source) This seems like the perfect time to share this great new book, Lighter Than Air: Sophie Blanchard, the First Woman Pilot by Matthew Clark Smith and illustrated by Matt Tavares. This book is being released next week, but I am going to share it with you today so you can pre-order it. 

Akira Yoshizawa: Japan's Greatest Origami Master -- a Crafty Weekends Review & Link Party

 Disclosure: Tuttle Publishing gave me these products free of charge for this review. All opinions in my review are my own and I did not receive any other compensation. As in all my reviews I am providing links for your ease, but receive no compensation. 

I have several origami books sitting on my shelf to review and by a sample for an upcoming workshop at work. It was for bridesmaid card (for asking to be a bridesmaid) with an origami dress. The paper used at work reminded me of a 1930s dress which made me think of Hazel and her desire for a Kit Kittredge doll. I have to still check out the instructions and find the paper so I can make one for Hazel. However it got my desire to start some origami projects. I pulled out Akira Yoshizawa: Japan's Greatest Origami Master by Akira Yoshizawa. The photographer of the book is Kazuo Hamada.

Sharing Saturday 17-9

It is time for Sharing Saturday!! This is a link party to share all of your child-oriented crafts, crafts made for kids, activities and lessons as well as your parenting and/or teaching posts.

On Sunday night we also host Crafty Weekends for all your crafts (done by any age), patterns, and craft product reviews! It is the perfect place to share your creative side!! And for all of your cultural posts come share them at the monthly Creative Kids Culture Blog Hop.

Thank you to everyone who shared with us at our last party! It was full of many great ideas, crafts, lessons and more!! There are ideas for celebrating Dr. Seuss's Birthday, Lent, Easter and St. Patrick's Day and more! Our features are just a sampling of them so if you haven't checked them all out, you should! This week we have three groups of features: Book, March & Holiday, and Crafts Features.

Well, That Was Awkward -- Book Review

Disclosure: Penguin Random House Books gave me a copy of this book free of charge for this review. All opinions in my review are my own and I did not receive any other compensation.  As in all my reviews I am providing links for your ease, but receive no compensation.

Do you remember your awkward middle school years? You know perhaps you all of a sudden liked someone you had known since kindergarten or perhaps it was your first date and everyone was involved in planning it. Or maybe you had an encounter with that popular kid that puts everyone down or just said something stupid. I can only imagine how much worse it is now with social media and texting. Rachel Vail's Well That Was Awkward has all of those moments and more. It really hit a chord with me and brought me back to eighth grade with the characters. I wish I had read this book back then.

Lent Ideas for Kids

Today is Ash Wednesday. Yesterday and today Hazel and I put together a Lenten table to help us think about the meaning of Lent and prepare for Easter. We pulled out many of our projects from past years. Some of these projects Hazel does not remember, so we are working on redoing some of them. We missed going to our church's pancake supper for Shrove Tuesday. I knew one of the activities they were doing with the kids was to decorate an "Alleluia" to put away in the box. Since "alleluia" is not used during Lent. I had Hazel do one at home.